5 days ago
Dame Helen Mirren needed lift from Dobbies...so I took her shopping for some luxury cashmere, says MBE recipient Margarette Bryan
Margarette Bryan has been recognised in the latest King's Honours List.
She once picked up Dame Helen Mirren from the local garden centre for a shopping trip with a difference.
Now retail queen Margarette Bryan is set to collect her own glittering prize after being handed a gong in the latest King's Birthday Honours List.
Margarette, who spent almost 30 years as sales boss at luxury cashmere firm Alex Begg and Co, regularly welcomed star names to her factory in Ayr's Viewfield Road.
And after devoting decades to the industry she loved, she has been recognised with an MBE for services to the retail sector in Scotland.
Margarette, who also spent 27 years as a driving force on the committee of Ayrshire Business Women, said: "I'm absolutely thrilled - it's a huge honour.
"The business world has changed a lot since I started out with High Streets hurting, but one thing that will never change is the demand for good customer service. People buy into people.
"I fully believe that good customer service is coming back. Online reviews drive that demand for standards. And councils need to see there are great opportunites with youngsters coming out of college who are keen to make a difference."
Margarette was a highly respected figure at Begg and Co, where she dealt with some A-list clients down the years.
She revealed: "One of the best stories was when when I got a call to say Helen Mirren, who was staying at Turnberry, was up at Dobbies buying plants.
"She needed a lift to come over to the factory for a look around so I went and got her. She wasn't sure how she'd get back to Turnberry, so I the coast road is lovely, I'll take you back down the road!
"We were fortunate to get a lot of visitors like that down the years. The legendary golfer, Arnold Palmer, was another good customer who I had the pleasure of dealing with. It was a fantastic place to work."
Margarette has spent much of her time down the years advising and mentoring businesses, working with staff and providing motivational training.
She has been a passionate ambassador for women in business, stepping down earlier this year from the committee of Ayrshire Business Women after 27 years of dedicated support to others in the region as well as working internationally.
She has also been a non-executive director at Ayrshire College where she spent more than five years on the board and has lobbied at the Scottish Parliament with Scottish Enterprise for the Scottish textiles industry.
Throughout her career, Margarette has worked on projects from the UK to America and Spain.
Also receiving MBEs in the Honours List were Dalry's Anne Cadman, an administrator for the Scottish Ambulance Service, for services to healthcare in remote and rural areas.
Kilmarnock's Paula Daly, a Mission Area Officer for southwest scotland, is being honoured for her work with the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen for services to fishermen and their families.
